Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union last month, opening the doors to further development of its roaring tourism and luxury hotel industry.
The marinas along Croatia’s scenic Adriatic coast have already proved to be a cost-effective alternative to the Côte d’Azur, and now luxury developers are snapping up land, stretches of coastline and old buildings to bring top-notch hotels and resorts to the country.
Last year, Dubai-based Arqaam Capital bought a 6.5-hectare plot of land on the island of Hvar near the town of Stari Grad, with plans to develop a luxury resort. Nearby, a 90-room Nikki Beach Resort & Spa is scheduled to open in 2015, bringing the high-end lifestyle brand to Croatia for the first time.
In the popular city of Dubrovnik, Spanish architecture firm Summum Design is working on a project that will see the acquisition and restoration of 23 mansions, summer villas and historical buildings scattered throughout the city. The buildings will be converted into boutique hotels, luxury villas, restaurants, spas shops and bars.
Together with a floating lobby along the riverfront, the buildings will form Dubrovnik Experience Lifestyle Hotel & Villas. This year also saw Design Hotels collection welcome its first Croatian property, Hotel Lone in Rovinj, to its portfolio. And that, it seems, is just the beginning.
The Croatian government has pledged to pave the way for foreign investment and plans to redevelop the country’s rail system to improve connectivity.
The Croatian Ministry of Tourism has also allocated US $263,000 to create 269 free WiFi hotspots around the country, improving its image as a tourist-friendly destination.
Dubrovnik has also attracted a new breed of tourist in recent years; fans of the HBO series Game of Thrones may recognise parts of the UNESCO World Heritage city as the setting for King’s Landing in the series.